Annealing-furnace or leer



w. 0. AMSLER. ANNEALING FURNACE 0R LEER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29. 1913 3.

1,35 1,323. Patented Aug. 31,1920.

2 sumssum E l\ ufll o C o a D1 I [U D INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER O. AMSLER, OF EDGEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VALTER a citizen of the United States, residing at Edgewood, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Annealing-Furnaces or Leers, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an application of myv invention,

Figure l is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of an annealing furnace or leer embodying my invention;

Fig. 2, a horizontal sectional view, the section being taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

. Figs. 4 and5, detail perspective views of tiles employed; and

Fig. 6, a diagram showing a comparison of temperature cycles.

The prime object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved annealing furnace or leer of the continuous type and particularly a leer designed for annealing glass articles, whereby the articles to be treated may be first subjected to a temperature above the critical point and then be subjected to a uniform gradual drop in temperature.

In the usual continuous heat treating furnaces employed for annealing glass articles, a relatively short fire box or heatingchamher is employed at the forward end of a tunnel-like structure for the purpose of subjecting the articles to a desired heat, and then depending upon the heat which travels back through the remainder of the tunnel to provide a sufficient drop in temperature to anneal the articles as they are passed through the furnace. The temperature cycle of a furnace of this character is shown by the dotted lines in the diagram, Fig. 6,

and it will be noted that this shows a dropping of the temperature gradient in such a manner as to provide unsatisfactory and incomplete annealing and' consequently considerable loss.

By means of the present invention I am enabled to overcome the disadvantages encountered in operating the above described leer, and to obtain a temperature cycle illustrated by the full'line in Fig. 6. By means of the construction, arrangement and com- O. AMsLER,

HEALING-FURNACE OR LEI ER.

Serial No. 264,491.

blnation of the muffle, combustion chamber, flues and temperature controlling means. as embodied in my invention, I am enabled to provide a temperature zone sufficiently high to relieve all internal stresses in the articles being treated, and then a zone or zones in which the temperature gradually and uniformly drops to near atmospheric, whereby the articles will be first heated to the critical point in the first zone and then gradually and unlformly cooled in the second or following zones.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the side walls of the furnace, 3 and 4 front and rear walls, and 5 the arched top. These elements are of the usual brick-work construction and are disposed on a suitable foundation 6. The furnace illustrated is of the continuous type, and communicates at one end through an opening 7 in the rear wall 4 with a tunnel 8.

It will be noted that I employ a furnace of considerable more length than the usual.

and well known furnaces of the class to wh1ch my invention relates, and that I also provide a muffle or an annealing chamber of great length, whereby I am enabled, in conjunction with the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, to effect a highly eflicient temperature control, thereby making it possible for the material to be treated under much more favorable conditions than has heretofore been the case.

The muflle or annealing chamber 9 has its side walls constructed of tiles 10 and 11, its

arch of tiles 12, and its bottom of tiles 13.

Forming the side walls of two tiles, that is to say, the side wall tile proper 10 and the skew tile orvblock 11, and resting the arch on the skew tiles as shown, provides a highly satisfactory construction, preventing cracks developing in the tiles, and preventing products 'of combustion from entering the muilie.

.Heretofore, the side walls of muflies 0 this type have been constructed of a series of single tiles, the result being that cracks or breaks develop in the side tiles adjacent andthe skew tile to move slightly on the tile 10.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 31, 1920 Application filed November 29, 1918.

In addition to thetongue a and groove 6, tile 10 is formed with outwardly projecting longitudinally extending flanges or ribs 0. Flanges c are designed for strengthening the tiles and also for the purpose of cooperating with the furnace wall to form fines, as hereinafter described.

15 designates a gasor fuel conduit, and

16 a suitable gas burner in communication with the conduit 15 and with the combustion chamber 17 disposed over the top of the muflie. The space between the top of the muifle and the furnace wall beyond the combustion chamber 17 is divided into a plurality of compartments by partition walls 18 and 18 Interposed between the interior of the side walls of the furnace and the muflie, I provide a series of flues 19, said fiues being formed-by the flanges c of the series of tiles 10 and the interior surface of the side walls of the furnace. As illustrated, these flues are disposed throughout the length of the furnace and are designed for the purpose of permitting the passage of products of combustion from' the combustion chamber 17 down into a centrally "disposed flue 20, and from the flue 20 upwardly into the comartment 17 of the space above the sage of the products of combustion through third, downwardly from the compartment the side flu'es 19, I provide each flue with a damper 24, adapted to be operated on the outside of the side walls of the furnace. By

means of these dampers -it will be evident that I am enabled to conveniently regulate flues and in turn control'the temperature the passage of heat products through the A flue and the vertically extending flues 19, I

provide four passes for the travel of the products through the furnace, first, from the combustion chamber 17 to the common flue below the muflle; second, a pass from the flue upwardly to the compartment 17 17 to said flue 20-; and, fourth, from flue 20 to compartment 17 and thence to chimney. It will be understood that the materials to be treated are passed through the muffle or annealing chamber, and for this purpose I have provided a series of roller supports 26, a

on which a pan or a series of pans 27 are drawn through the furnace by any suitable.

2. In an annealing furnace or leer, an

elongated muflie, a combustion chamber disposed over the top of the muffle, a flue below the muflie, side flues connecting the combustion chamber and the flue below the muflie, said side fluesformed by projections extending from the mufilelwall to the furnace wall, and means for controlling the passage of products of combustion through said side flues.

3'. In an annealing furnace or leer, an elongated muffle, a longitudinally extending chamber disposed over the top of the muflie, a laterally extending partition dividing the chamber into two compartments, a common central longitudinally extending flue below the muflie, said latter flue having a partition wall dividing the flue into two compartments, and side flues connecting the compartments above the muifle and the central flue, said flues' cooperating with the chamber to provide a plurality of passes for the products of combustion during their travel through the furnace.

4:. In an annealing furnace or leer, a muflie, a combustion chamber disposed over the top of themufie, a flue below the muflle, said muflle having its side 'walls including flanged tiles having the flanges thereof in contact with the side walls of the furnace to form vertically extending "side flues connecting the combustion chamber and the flue below the muflle.

5. In an annealing furnace or leer of the continuous type, an elongated muflie, a combustion chamber disposed over the top of the mufiie, means for circulating a heating medium over and around-the mufile, said means including partition walls above and below the muifle arranged and-adapted to provide a plurality of passes surrounding the muflie and a plurality of heat zones within the muflie whereby one of said zones may be maintained at atemperature above the determined uniform heat gradient;

'16. In an anneahng furnace orleer, a

critical temperature and another at a pr'emuflle having its sides and arch formed of tiles disposed therein, said mufiie having its side walls formed of a series of side wall tiles proper and a series of independent skew tiles, the arch of the muffle being supported by the skew tiles.

7. In an annealing furnace or leer, a mufile having its sides and arch formed of tiles disposed therein, said mufllehaving its side walls formed of a series of side wall tiles proper having projecting flanges and a series of independent skew tiles, the arch of the muifle beingsupported by the skew tiles, said flan es co-acting with the furnace, galls to provldevertically extending side ues.

p 8. In an annealing furnace or leer, 'a-

muflie, a combustion chamber disposed over the top of the muflle, a flue below the muflle, side flues connecting the combustion chamber and the flue below the muflie, said flues formed by projections extending from the muflie wall to the furnace wall.

9. In an annealing furnace or leer, a muflie positioned within the furnace to form a space between the top of the 'muflle and furnace, a partition wall extending laterally across the space to form a'combustion chamber and a compartment beyond the combustioI-n chamber, a flue below the muflie, and side flues connecting the combustion chamber and compartment and the flue below the mufile. A

10. In an annealing furnace or leer, an elongated muflie positioned within the furnace to form a space between the top of the muffle and the furnace, partition walls dividing the space into a combustion chamber and a plurality of compartments beyond the combustionchamber, a flue below the muflle, and side flues connecting the combustion chamber and compartment 'and the flue below the mufile.

11. In -an annealing furnace or leer, an elongated muflle, a chamber disposed over the top of the mufiie and having a partition walldividing it into a combustion chamber and a compartmentin communication with A WALTER o; AMSLER.

Witnesses: i

J. M. GEOGHEGAN', Lors WINEMAN. 

